An upcoming episode of BBC2’s Digging for Britain documentary features Elsyng Palace and ongoing local efforts to discover more about it, reports Louis Altmann

Volunteers from Enfield Archaeological Society at a previous dig on the site of Elsyng Palace

Enfield Archaeological Society’s summer dig at Elsyng Palace will feature on BBC2’s Digging for Britain documentary next month.

The society has led long-running efforts to discover the secrets of the former royal palace within the grounds of Forty Hall Estate, where it stood from the 15th to the 17th centuries.

In the 16th Century, Elsyng Palace was bought by Henry VIII and his children Edward VI and Elizabeth I spent some of their
childhoods at the palace. Edward was even told he was king there after his father’s death.

But around 1657, Elsyng was demolished. Its remains were discovered by Enfield Archaeological Society (EAS) in the 1960s, and annual excavations have been carried out over the past 20 years.

The palace was scheduled as an ancient monument in 1967, meaning government permission has been required since then for every excavation.

At the regular summer dig last July, archaeologists excavated the inner gatehouse, a four-storey building which restricted access between the service court and the inner court where the royal apartments were.

This new find, along with previous digs at the site, have allowed EAS to create both a plan and a 3D reconstruction of the palace.

The summer excavation and more details about the latest discoveries will feature in the new series of Digging for Britain which commences on Tuesday, 2nd January, from 8pm. Elsyng Palace features in the second episode a week later.

EAS has also recently published two new books on the palace: Elsyng: Enfield’s Lost Palace Revealed by John Pinchbeck, and Monarchs,
Courtiers and Technocrats; Elsyng Palace, Enfield: Place and People by Dr Martin Dearne.

For more information about Enfield Archaeological Society and to buy copies of the new books:
Visit enfarchsoc.org

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